Bill Maher criticizes Karen Bass and Cali officials for their handling of the fires: "Focusing on Ghana while the city burned"

In his show on Friday, Bill Maher criticized the local government for their handling of the wildfires that have devastated Los Angeles.

Maher stated that Karen Bass, the mayor of L.A., was the Nero of American politics and was occupied in Ghana while the city was on fire.

The host dismissed the excuse as weak, saying, "I'm sure it is. I'm sure it's very complicated. That's why I pay 13 percent of my income in the state every year to people who I assume were working on things like this."

Bass' excuse for being unprepared was criticized by Maher. He pointed out that she had said the fires were severe due to "eight months of negligible rain and winds that have not been seen in L.A. in at least 14 years."

The host mocked the statement, stating, "Indeed, that's not a lengthy duration. Check the history books to see how our ancestors dealt with it in 2011."

Bass argued that the cuts wouldn't affect the city's readiness, but LAFD Chief Kristin Crowley had a "slightly different perspective."

"The host stated, "Yes, the budget was cut, which affected our ability to provide service as she said, 'We are screaming to be properly funded.'""

Maher supported his intuition by examining Crowley's LAFD bio, which stated, "Chief Crowley leads a diverse department that values diversity, inclusion, and equity while striving to meet and exceed the expectations of the communities."

Maher criticized his home state as a place that "spends money and gets nothing, which is why you may have noticed when the fires broke out, no one escaped by high-speed rail."

"Our state has the highest marginal tax rate in the country, higher than almost all other states. What does that cover? Breadsticks? Because it clearly doesn't cover fire. It's the government's job to protect us from crime, violence, theft, and fire. I'm not saying Alabama would have done better with fires by fighting them with prayer in school, but look me in the eye and tell me anyone could have done worse."